Missing a connecting flight is one of the most stressful and frustrating things that can happen to you when flying. If you want to avoid it, you need to give yourself ample time between flights, and do a little homework before you fly.

No, you’re not just imagining it: average seat sizes have shrunk over the past 20 years. According to FlyersRights.org, a nonprofit advocating for passengers’ rights, the average economy-class seat is 17 inches wide, compared to 18.5 inches in the early 2000s. The average space between a seat and the seat in front of…

I just returned from a five-day trip to Paris, on a budget airline that charges a fee to bring a carry-on. I’m cheap, so that means everything had to fit in a small bag under the seat in front of me. Friends, I did it. You can, too.

If you use third-party travel sites like Expedia or Priceline to scout for low airfare, you might not want to jump at the lowest price you see. United’s zero-frills “Basic Economy” tickets are sometimes harder to spot than normal tickets.

It’s annoying as hell when you have your tray table down, trying to work or eat, and the person in front of you reclines, narrowing the already tiny gap between your knees and their seatback. To retaliate, you recline your own seat—it’s your right, after all—and annoy the person behind you. It’s a frustrating domino…

Yes, air travel is pretty amazing. But between flight delays and bumped seats, airlines give us a lot to complain about, too. Boarding procedures, for example, often annoy passengers because they’re seemingly random and pointless. There is, however, a method to the madness.

Let’s say your airline does something to piss you off (shocking hypothetical, I know). If you’re like most people, you probably complain directly to the airline. Experts say you should also file a complaint with the Department of Transportation (DOT), though.

Airlines are within their rights to kick you off an overbooked plane, even if you’ve paid for a ticket and don’t want to leave. According to United employees, a “computer” picked a man who said he was a doctor and needed to see patients in the morning to be dragged off a flight this weekend. How does the computer…

Much of the northern east coast is being hit by storm Stella this week, which means delayed or cancelled flights to and from major airports like JFK, LaGuardia, Newark, and Logan. Here’s what your airline may be doing to make up for the travel hassle.

Some airlines have their flight attendants ask you and your fellow passengers to raise your window shades during take-off and landing. This isn’t about waking passengers up at the end of a red-eye or having all the shades up or down for the next flight, it’s about safety.

Let’s say your favorite restaurant started offering meals at a reduced price but you have to pay extra if you want napkins, forks, or a seat. Most of us would probably hesitate to give them our business, but that hesitation doesn’t translate to airfare. We keep paying for crappy, bare bones flights. And that’s not a…

Discount airlines like Spirit have forced the major carriers to offer cheaper flight options. These “unbundled” options are less expensive than the standard fare, but they’re also even more bare bones. American is the latest airline to offer a cheaper, unbundled fare.

You may not assume it from the mental picture that comes to mind of a “plane crash,” but most real ones, like planes skidding off runways and such, are survivable. Over at Quora, Cheryl A Schwartz, a former flight attendant, offered some useful suggestions for making sure you survive, and get out of the plane safely.

In-flight Wi-Fi is wonderful. The price to use it on the other hand, not so great. There are a few methods to get free access, but these two are relatively simple. The first requires only an iPhone. The second requires either a VPS or server you control. They both result in free, unlimited access for the whole flight.